I Am A Hero
A Fanfiction by Keystone
Disclaimer: Still not mine. Just this tale.
Authors note: None. This is the final chapter. Just read.
What Home?
Cyborg stepped off of the boat and took his first step on the old island in over a year. At once, so many memories flooded over him. Memories of fun, laughter, enjoyment. Youth and innocence. Naivete and misguided thoughts. But now, none of that mattered. He was home. At last. He would see the four people who had stood behind him so long.
The people who loved him so much to not stop him from doing what he knew was right. The people who would not know how to react to his sudden reappearance. He smiled at that, for the first time in months he smiled honestly. He figured he would just walk up, ring the bell, and be welcomed in with open arms, smiling and laughing all the way.
With the thought of home on his mind he approached the door.
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"Dude, when is that pizza gonna get here? I'm starving, man!" Beast Boy yelled in frustration. His stomach did most of the talking for him. He and the other four Titans had spent the day watching movies, seeing as there was no bad guy activity for at least a week. After the fourth Rocky, they decided some pizza was in order, so Robin made the call.
Three pizzas, one half cheese, half chocolate, one supreme, and one tofu. It had been about forty five minutes ago, and they were getting antsy. Nobody likes to be kept from their food, especially super heroes teenagers.
After listening to Beast Boy whine from the moment he hung up the phone, the rest of the teens were eagerly awaiting their food, if nothing more than to silence the twit for a few minutes. So when they heard the door bell, it was a mad dash to answer it first. Raven beat them all to it and simply phased through the floor to get to the main entrance while Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy took the elevator.
Nearing the door she swore she felt something familiar, but thinking it was the same delivery boy they always had she opened the door and came face to face with a stranger.
Her mouth would have fallen off if anatomy would have allowed it, and she felt her legs become wobbly. No words, no words came to her mind as she struggled to find something to say. Every impulse in her screamed to cry, but she couldn't. Not saying she did not want to. She had an epiphany in her meditation and now could allow herself the joy of emotion. Still, she was unsure if she should. The lump was there in her throat, and she began to breathe heavily to try and clear it. Then decided it was pointless to hold it in.
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After convincing himself how easy it would be to just walk right in, Cyborg could not move as he saw Raven's slender form in the doorway, and watched her act as though she was seeing a ghost.
Not being able to really express herself as he remembered, it was a bit surprising when she lunged forward and hugged him. As hard as she could, she held on to him as though he would vanish into thin air if she let go. He could feel and hear her sobbing into his mighty steel body, and he was not sure if he could hold it himself much longer.
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The elevator came to a stop and everyone in it ran to the door, visions of steamy greasy flavor teasing their minds and pallets. Rounding the corner they came across a peculiar sight. Raven, holding onto and crying on someone. A very large someone. Who was black...and at the same time white...
Starfire slowly landed and Beast Boy stopped mid stride. Robin took off his mask and looked with uncovered eyes to be sure.
There he was. It was Cyborg. He was home.
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Raven finally let go when she heard the others behind her come to a complete stop. They walked as one to the doorway, all of them silent as the air around them.
Yes, this was Cyborg, but he was...different. His eyes no longer held the charismatic shine to them, the spark of honesty he was known for. His armor was dented in so many places, and bore the marks of buffing and resurfacing. Still, they could all see where he had been shot. Where he had been burned, hit, stabbed. And still here he was.
And his face and the story it told. Eyes looking past all of them but staring right at them. Scars that left angry red lines across his once smooth brown skin. A face that needed shaving.
Starfire ran her hand over his chassis, feeling the breaks and repairs made to him. She held up a hand to her mouth and bit on her fist to stop from exploding.
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Seeing them all, being face to face again, right here...he could touch them if he wanted, but he could not move.
All he could do was let the bag over his shoulder fall. Then he opened his mouth to speak, but found no breath to make words with. His iron body coming undone, he fell to his knees, and tears fell from his one human eye.
Out past the island, on the rocks, the waves crashed again and again.
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There was a reason this had no sound in it. Go somewhere quiet when you finish reading this. Somewhere very quiet. And think about this. That sound that you will hear, is the same sound millions of humans are hearing now. Absolutely nothing. Nothing can be heard when you are dead.
Thank you to all of you who read and reviewed this along the way. Especially my Twin, whom without I could have never found the passion to write this.